The Austere Academy by Lemony Snicket

The Austere Academy (Series of Unfortunate Events, #5)

by Lemony Snicket

As their outrageous misfortune continues, the Baudelaire orphans are shipped off to a miserable boarding school, where they befriend the two Quagmire triplets and find that they have been followed by the dreaded Count Olaf.

Reviewed by celinenyx on

4 of 5 stars

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Oh, the references! My favourite is when they meet the Quagmire triplets:

"You write poetry?" Klaus asked. He had read a lot about poets but had never met one.
"Just a little bit," Isadora said modestly. "I write poems down in this notebook. It's an interest of mine."
"Sappho!" Sunny shrieked, which meant something like "I'd be very pleased to hear a poem of yours!"


The cultural and literary references are endless, including the name of the Vice Principal (Nero) and the name of the academy (Prufrock). Lovely to reread this series again now I'm older, since I couldn't pick up these when I was young.

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  • Started reading
  • 18 June, 2013: Finished reading
  • 18 June, 2013: Reviewed